“What foods these morsels be!” Love the box slogan that’s been there forever.
There are a few iconic things that belong only to Rochester.
If you meet a Rochesterian, he or she will absolutely know what they are.
Like Donuts Delite.
Would you believe my photo of those donuts
got more comments than anything else?
They ARE delicious.
And everyone from my hometown knows about them.
After all, we grew up with Donuts Delite
and other things exclusive to our home town.
This is another.Custard is the richest soft ice cream you can imagine, and it’s the ice cream we knew first and best growing up. It’s far better than gelato even. Abbotts started as a West-side thing, over by the beach in Charlotte, M’s old neighborhood. A long day at Lake Ontario beach always ended best with an Abbotts cone.
Long after I moved away, one cropped up a block from my high school. M and I stopped in at that one last month. And then a few years ago, when I was living in Tampa, an Abbotts opened there, in Hyde Park. I got to try it once, and then, it closed down. Shame on Tampa for not recognizing great ice cream! If you’re lucky enough to live in Rochester or a few nearby cities, Abbotts is at your disposal, as it is in two Florida communities, two Massachusetts cities and one in Colorado. But Abbotts will always say “Rochester” to me.
You think hot dogs are red? Nope, not all of them.
Here’s another Rochester icon: White hots. Uncured beef, pork and veal.
The lack of curing or smoking allows the hot dog to remain white.
A complete Rochester invention brought to us by the German immigrants
who lived in Rochester in the 1920s.
And M’s favorite Rochester icon: Genesee Cream Ale, otherwise known As Genny Cream ale.
He used to be able get a whole six-pack for 89 cents or less back in the day.
He’s still got his Genny Cream Ale glass, too.
(I think it tastes like a weasel peed in the bottle,
but lots of Rochester men absolutely love the stuff.)
Here’s a vintage commercial.
If you’re from Rochester and know other iconic foods, drinks
or things exclusive to that city, tell me about it in Comments
here on the blog.
Whether you’re from Rochester or not,
if you have a favorite of those I’ve written about,
I’d love to know what it is and why you love it.
What do YOU remember about these things?
♧ Commenters will be entered into a random drawing.♧
The prize is a $50 gift voucherto www.paperculture.com
for exclusive cards, holiday cards, invitations and more.
I sampled some at BlogHer’11 and LOVE them.
You will, too. It’s a great and useful prize, especially
with the holidays coming up soon.
I picked up a few of their very cute Christmas cards.
You must 1) follow my blog if you don’t already; 2) comment here on the blog, below, to enter
(not on FB or Twitter) and 3) you must have a valid email address with your comment
(or email it to me privately if you prefer).
You may enter as many times as you want this week by commenting on
blog posts through this Saturday: five more chances to enter!
Once a day, please!
This is my very first contest, so please help make it a success!
I must have at least 15 different entries for this giveaway. If not,
I’ll roll them into a future giveaway, which means you’ll already qualify.
Paperculture.com cards are on high-quality eco-card stock and have modern
colorful designs for every occasion. They plant a tree for every order. I was pretty impressed.
I’ve never been to Rochester, NY. I grew up on the other side of the country, and the closest I’ve been was a trip to NYC in 1997. So I’d never heard of Donuts Delite, Abbotts, white hots OR Genesee Cream Ale—until your blog. But now? I am salivating over the idea of a rich, soft frozen custard cone. Yum.
Here you’ll find my blog, some of my essays, published writing, and my solo performances. There’s also a link to my Etsy shop for healing and grief tools offered through A Healing Spirit.
I love comments, so if something resonates with you in any way, don’t hesitate to leave a comment on my blog. Thank you for stopping by–oh, and why not subscribe so you don’t miss a single post?
Carol, the white hot is another Rochester thing that has passed me by, but at least I have tried them. Sorry, but me no like.
been to abbotts; you’re right, frozen custard is the best. there is one near me in needham, ma.
beth grd
Beth, send me your email addy!
Pat, they aren’t my faves, either
bethgrd@aol.com
I’ve never been to Rochester, NY. I grew up on the other side of the country, and the closest I’ve been was a trip to NYC in 1997. So I’d never heard of Donuts Delite, Abbotts, white hots OR Genesee Cream Ale—until your blog. But now? I am salivating over the idea of a rich, soft frozen custard cone. Yum.